Balkans

Ilir Tolaj’s defence lawyer has accused the EULEX prosecution of violating the Procedural Code of Kosovo while gathering evidence against his client.The defence at the trial of Ilir Tolaj and ten other former senior government officials charged with corruption, have accused the EU’s rule of law mission to Kosovo, EULEX, …

Germany’s chancellor praised Moldova’s government for recent reforms Wednesday, saying they fulfil requirements for visa free travel to European Union countries. Angela Merkel, speaking after meeting Prime Minister Vlad Filat during a visit to the country, said that “the reforms (undertaken) so far are very clear and they fulfil the …

GREECE needs more time to implement tough financial reforms and spending cuts, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras says as he starts the first of a series of top-level European meetings to discuss his debt-ridden country’s international bail-out.

SARAJEVO (AA) – August 23, 2012 – The complex structure that came into being in Bosnia-Herzegovina following the Dayton Peace Treaty at the end of the war made it very difficult for Bosnia-Herzegovina to integrate with the international system and Europe. The intellectuals in the country are concerned that Bosnia-Herzegovina …

If it meets all the EU criteria, Serbia may be able to get a date for membership negotiations by July 2013, a senior EU official tells Balkan Insight.The European Commission’s latest opinion of Serbia’s progress will not be as positive as the one in 2011 – so Serbia is unlikely …

PM Gruevski says ruling VMRO-DPMNE is ready for early polls if its Albanian partners demand them.The Macedonian Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, on Wednesday said the government coalition was in crisis and that if its ethnic Albanian coalition partner wanted elections, his VMRO-DPMNE party is ready. “We do not want early …

Three officials of Montenegro’s biggest opposition party met Democratic Front leaders to again explore the possibility of a united action against the government.Three officials of the opposition Socialist People’s Party, SNP, Milan Knezevic, Vera Bulatovic, and Vladislav Bojovic, met Miodrag Lekic, chair of the Democratic Front, on Wednesday to discuss …

The Central Electoral Commission published the final list of candidates for the upcoming local elections scheduled for October 7.More than 30,000 individuals have been registered as candidates for local or municipal elections in Bosnia’s two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, the Central Electoral Commission, CIK, …

Serbia’s new defence minister, Aleksandar Vucic, has headed to Russia for his first official visit, confirming the new government’s desire to firm up ties to the Kremlin.Aleksandar Vucic, Defence Minister and head of Serbia’s National Security Council, will meet on Wednesday with Russia’s Vice President in charge of defence, Dmirty …

DUI official says party will walk if law on armed forces leaves out members of former Albanian guerilla fighters from 2001 conflict.Macedonia’s ruling coalition has been shaken after the government’s smaller coalition partner announced that it may leave, if a key piece of legislation is adopted.